Cream of the Cream City Award Winners: 2014

205 EAST WISCONSIN AVENUE
The Iron Block has been a fixture at the intersection of North Water Street and East Water Street since its construction in 1860. Designed by George H. Johnson and manufactured by Daniel Badger’s Architectural Iron Works of New York City, it has served tenants ranging from architects to Masonic lodges. Owners Dental Associates purchased the Iron Block in early 2012 and set about to renovate the building’s interior as well as exterior.

1105 NORTH WAVERLY PLACE
The James S. Peck House is the sole survivor of a group of stately homes that once fronted Waverly Place. The neighborhood was developing by the 1870s and this Italianate style house was in the height of fashion, built of local Cream City brick and ornamented with finely crafted detail. In 1912 an elegant wraparound porch was added to the building designed by none other than Henry Koch & Son.

1003-1005 NORTH 33RD STREET
This duplex, located today in the Concordia Historic District, was one of five developed at the same time along the 1000 block of North 33rd Street by the West Side Realty Company.Richter, Dick and Reutemann, a prominent real estate and development company, most likely formed the West Side Realty Company as a development arm since the two businesses shared offices in the Caswell Building downtown.Local architects Herbst & Hufschmidt designed all of the duplexes, making each unique, but following consistent setbacks, height and materials.

2601-2603 WEST WELLS STREET
Doctor Eugene W. Beebe had this duplex constructed to house himself and his son Claude. Both were specialists in the field of eye, ear, nose and throat medicine and Eugene was widely recognized for his skills and publications. The two shared an office and living quarters downtown on today’s East Wisconsin Avenue. Eugene moved into the duplex (2601) upon its completion in 1906 and Claude moved in upstairs (2603). Son Claude Beebe later moved to Shorewood in 1913 but Dr. Eugene Beebe remained on Wells Street until he died in 1915 at the age of 75. The duplex was subsequently owned by the Pethericks into the 1960s and occupied as a rooming house. It was maintained in reasonably good condition over the decades but was vacant in recent years.

LiFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN PRESERVATION EDUCATION AND DESIGN
H. Russell Zimmermann is a household name in Milwaukee. Many a budding preservationist spent their formative years reading his series, The Past in Our Present, in the Milwaukee Journal in the 1970s and 1980s or chasing the buildings featured in his Heritage Guidebook. Zimmermann opened many eyes to the beauties of Milwaukee’s historic buildings even as he stayed one jump ahead of the wrecking ball.His efforts helped to instill the preservation ethic in a community rich in architectural resources.

2252 NORTH SUMMIT AVENUE
The current owners, Brad and Tiffany Tinsey, have finally completed what was begun by their predecessors. A photo from 1978 shows that the front gable and the porch gable were sheathed by large rough shakes and that the porch balustrade needed work. The building itself was covered in vinyl siding. The Tinsey’s removed the vinyl siding and removed the rough shingles in the gables to reveal decorative shingles hidden underneath. They also worked on the porch balustrade. As a final touch, they gave the house a new coat of paint and picked out the various decorative shingles with different colors. The house now adds a bit of sparkle to the North Point South Historic District.

2405 EAST WYOMING PLACE
Planning and executing an addition to an Alexander Eschweiler-designed house can be tricky. How can you stay true to the master’s vision and yet add space that accommodates modern living? And how can you do that under the watchful eyes of your neighbors who all hold their historic district in the highest esteem? Not to mention that the house sits at a prominent corner for many to see.

2591-2597 NORTH DOWNER AVENUE(1915) AND 2521-2525 EAST BELLEVIEW PLACE (1915)
This building at the corner of Downer and Belleview was constructed as part of a large development in 1915 that created the Downer Theater flanked by storefronts and apartments. Prominent commercial and apartment building firm, Martin Tullgren & Sons, produced a unique design with Prairie Style features and details picked out with terra cotta trim. The theater is the oldest continuously running theater in Milwaukee. The flanking storefronts have had numerous tenants over the decades and the upper units held apartments.

IN FRONT OF 1710 EAST PRYOR AVENUE
The Pryor Avenue Iron Well is a much beloved fixture of the Bay View neighborhood. The site is visited not only by Bay View residents but by people from all over Milwaukee who carry their jugs and fill up on the water of this unique resource.

2564 NORTH 47TH STREET
Milwaukee’s bungalows stand head and shoulders above those of other Wisconsin cities and the examples on the city’s West Side are particularly notable. A special grouping of these bungalows in the 4500 block of North 47th Street was locally designated in 2001. Deed restrictions at the time of development spelled out setbacks, cost of construction and where accessory buildings could be placed and resulted in a series of residences that show off the high quality materials and expert craftsmanship that have given Milwaukee bungalows their distinction.Bungalows at that time appealed to all segments of society and most of the original owners here were professionals or business owners.

2733-2734 WEST BURNHAM STREET
Not many people realize that the row of American Systems Built Houses on Burnham Street is the largest contiguous grouping of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed houses in the world. Four of the six dwellings are duplexes. As a follow-up to the successful restoration of the single family house at 2714 West Burnham the non-profit Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, Inc. decided to showcase the restoration of one of the duplexes it acquired in 2007.